Feeling discouraged or like you’re running on empty right now? If you’ve ever struggled with feeling discouraged, especially when your circumstances feel hopeless (and maybe even like God is nowhere to be found), then you’ll want to watch this mini devotional for inspiration for even seemingly impossible circumstances.

When you stop and think about Jesus’ birth, I mean really think about it, it’s crazy that God came to the world this way. Jesus was in Mary’s womb for 9 months (really 10 months, let’s be honest, every week counts when you’re pregnant). And while surely absolutely adorable as every newborn is (by design no doubt), Jesus was also utterly dependent on everyone around Him to not just stay alive but to thrive. Jesus had the humblest of beginnings.

With the business of the holiday season and all the yummy holiday treats and extravagant meals with family and friends, staying healthy can be really hard. And if we let them, the holidays can take a toll on our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. And while many of us become uber health-conscious come January 1 (I’ve never seen lap pools as busy as they are the first week of January…and it stops there lol), it can be so taxing on our bodies to find themselves in seasons of unhealth, especially when we want to be the best version of ourselves as we spend extra time with family and friends.

I was listening to the radio in my car the other day and a song came on about being a “nobody” and I honestly had to change stations. The singer was singing it like it was their identity and I just couldn’t listen to it.

I love that Thanksgiving in the United States invites us to intentionally take some time to think about what we’re thankful for. Sometimes, with the holiday approaching, I like to take the time to think back over the whole year and think about what I’m truly grateful for since last Thanksgiving. Other times, I’m so focused on the present, that I can’t think much beyond my current circumstances and what I'm thankful for today. Taking the time to reflect on what we’re grateful for at Thanksgiving time reminds me how valuable it is to reflect on what I’m grateful for on a regular basis, not just one day a year.

Wherever you go, there will be naysayers. Everyone encounters them. So, figuring out what to do with them is better time spent than trying to avoid them. They’ll come in surprising forms anyway. They might be your parents, a friend, a teacher, a boss, or somebody you look up to.